Fresno State Bulldogs

Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford, center, Marcus Smart and Markel Brown(22) speak to the referee after Smart shoved a fan during a NCAA college basketball game in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Feb, 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Tori Eichberger) ALL LOCAL TV OUT / AP

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College basketball fans love to heckle.

Air Force fans targeted the girlfriend of former CSU forward Greg Smith for four seasons; Colorado State University students teased Ryan Watkins of Boise State for the tumor that once covered his jaw; and practically every arena has some chant setup to mock Rams’ coach Larry Eustachy about his past.

The attacks are usually personal in nature — they hurt — but there’s an understood rule among players: don’t respond.

Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart broke that Saturday when he shoved Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr in the final seconds of the Cowboys’ 65-61 loss, instantly making international headlines in the process.

He claims to have been called a racial slur (Orr argues otherwise), but no matter what was said, the star sophomore has been suspended for three games, including the in-state rivalry showdown with Oklahoma.

National media have condemned Smart’s actions during the past week, questioning how he let emotions get the worst of him, but members of the basketball community are coming to his defense.

“I understand what Marcus Smart did and I get it. Nobody has been harassed more by fans in the last 10 years than me. They’ve got a reason, they’ve got an incident to go after,” Eustachy said. “I usually don’t hear it or see the signs. Something has to really be said to catch my ear, but I understand a young man who gave a lot back to college basketball to not go to the NBA.

“I’m not condoning what he did whatsoever, but I’ve talked to him, I know he’s a great kid. Something must have really been said for him to do that. I feel bad for him because it’s a bad situation.”

And a unique one.

Smart didn’t enter the crowd seeking a fan altercation; he found himself in the stands while trying to make a game-saving play. After a late turnover, Smart committed a hard foul on a breakaway dunk attempt that sent him flying into the bleachers. Upon standing up, he was face-to-face with Orr, who waved his hand in Smart’s face before allegedly called him the N-word.

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The same Texas Tech “superfan” has been shown on ESPN before making inappropriate hand motions to former Texas A&M forward Bryan Davis and Utah Jazz guard John Lucas III claims Orr was yelling the same thing at student-athletes while he was playing for OSU and Baylor from 2001-05. The fact someone finally let it get to them shouldn’t be surprising.

“That was a really bad word. I mean, that was just wrong. That guy really called him a — you know,” said CSU forward J.J. Avila, a transfer from Navy. “I got really good in high school at blocking out people in the crowd because my dad would always say nonsense. Sometimes, I would yell, ‘quiet, dad. I’m playing, you’re not,’ but a fan’s intention is to mess you up. They’ll say anything to get in your head.”

Which is why Avila and Rams’ guard Jon Octeus said it’s so important not to respond to taunts — their entire purpose is to throw a player off his or her game.

Avila, 6-foot-7, 247 pounds, has heard a variety of insults in one year playing for the Rams, from “jelly donut” at Utah State to the obligatory “in the navy,” not understanding why fans think either would offend him. But even if something clever is spewed his way, the key is to ignore.

If not, a player could end up like Marcus Smart, finding themselves on ESPN for the wrong reasons.

“Seriously, people don’t believe me, but when the game is going on, I can’t tell what the crowd is saying. I can pick out the coaches’ voices, but that’s it. I hear them screaming, I see them pointing, but don’t know what they’re saying,” Octeus said. “I feel like what the crowd would say to me, my teammates jokingly say to me, so it’s not that bad. We joke around and make fun of each other all the time. That’s just this group.

“Regardless of what was said, he’s in the crowd, you’re in the game, just walk away. I don’t even know if people would know what to say to me to hit the spot like that, but it’s one of those situations where you have to step up and walk away and be the bigger person.”